A Tribute to a Scroll
by Sky Raider
Summary: Sasuke dies, and Naruto breaks down. This is a 'what if' oneshot. NaruSasu pairiing. Sasuke is slightly out of character. What if Sasuke had died, losing their fight instead of both living? Um...Fight where Sasuke has those demon hands... .


**A Tribute to a scroll**

**This is just for the hell of it, as I've never done a oneshot before. Naruto reflects on Sasuke's sudden death, blaming himself for the accident. What happens what a boy comes for Naruto? Rated Teen to be safe. Mild gore, mild language. No yoai sex scenes. Naru+Sasu pairing.**

--

Sasuke had died. In his arms, he just went limp. Naruto, the golden haired ninja, whimpered, allowing salty tears to mix with their blood and the rain. The red glow around him faded and his eyes returned to blue, teeth and nails back to their human shape once more. It did little good, seeing as he dug his nails into his friend's coat anyway...

"Sasuke..." He hissed through clenched teeth, allowing his head to hang and rest on his motionless friend's forehead. The blood still trickled down the same arms that had only just recently held the black haired boy in a friendly headlock... Naruto whispered a prayer for his departed friend, holding back a threatening growl. Anger and regret ran through his veins.

_Sasuke, my dearest friend. My brother. My partner._

_You've left too soon, I'm afraid... We still need you here in the living world. Sakura and I are lost without you... Please don't leave me, my brother... I'm so sorry... It's my fault... If only... I could've told you the thoughts that run through my head while I'm around you. It's all so wrong. All of this. You're too young to die yet... This is crazy... Why are we even fighting this fight anymore? I've lost you, and it's all because of this damn curse. This fight. This journey... I wonder what we'd be if we had lived normal lives? Have you ever wondered this? Will you think of this, Sasuke? Brother?_

The wounded, blue-eyed boy ran his fingers through the tangled hair of his friend. He traced his friend's features on his face, from his forehead so bruised to his chin and cheek bones, strong and healthy. Naruto's shaky hands gripped onto Sasuke's coat tighter, pulling him in close. An embrace... Crying... tears... broken heart...

"Dammit, Sasuke... Come back to me... Please..." Naruto cried helplessly. For once in his life, he felt weak. Broken. Defenseless. His feelings did not lie. He was weakened now, tired and scared. He had wanted to calm his friend down, not kill him. How did it get like this? "Sasuke..."

Four weeks passed. Naruto had gone into a shattered state. He didn't come off his roof, and didn't talk to anyone. At night, he'd just lay there staring at the sky. In the day, he'd watch villagers go about their daily duties. He only came down to eat and such, and rarely did that. He almost never slept.

Sakura had also been hurt by Sasuke's sudden death, but had just learned to accept it. She walked along the road towards Naruto's house, and leaped up onto the roofs when three houses down. She could see him, laying there... just watching. He didn't blink. He didn't move except to breath, or was that the wind?

"Naruto...?" She jumped over and landed gently beside him. He didn't move. "Naruto, Hinata was worried about you. She asked me to come make sure you hadn't done anything stupid... Are you going to be okay?" He continued to stare into space, but spoke softly as he did so. His low voice, barely audible, was rough and dry. "I'll be fine. Leave me alone." Sakura nodded, knowing her place, and left in a streak of colors.

Elsewhere, a thin black haired boy watched the happenings of the village. His onyx eyes gleamed with emotion. Worry... hope... and weakness. No one noticed him. Not even the scouts. His clothes were battered and torn, and not much more can be said for the boy himself. A large gash was on his neck, and his knuckles were bloody and bruised, nails torn and weathered from use. "Naruto..." Was the only thing the boy said, crouching and jumping higher up to gain more sight of the village. That's when he saw him. The blond haired boy sat alone on his roof. "...Naruto... why?" With those words still lingering in the air, he ran towards the boy on the roof.

Naruto almost yelped when a sudden pair of weak arms wrapped around his shoulders. "The hell!?" He took a glance at the hands and gasped, seeing the marks he had left on a boy before, during a fight. "S-Sasuke...!" He spun around in time to get thrown down and hugged tightly. He hugged back, almost as tightly.

The black haired boy shook with sobs, his first true tears in a long time. His first emotion other then anger... Tears of.. joy. Relief. Of pain... sorrow... worry. He shoved his face into the blonde's shoulder and spoke in sobs and sentences consisting of three to four words each. Naruto held the weak boy close, confused and surprised... Happy, joyful, thankful...

Sakura was close enough to hear the commotion and sat, resisting herself. So she didn't break up the happy pair. "Sasuke... How... When...?" She whispered to herself. A lot of people noticed, and were watching. Sakura took charge and shooed them, telling them there was nothing more to see and nothing more to hear. That was for sure. What Sakura heard from the two boys was something she'd never expect from either of the two. Her heart froze...

Naruto nuzzled him, whispering to him it would be alright like he would for a child. Sasuke was crying, so out of character. "I love you..." All time stood still. Naruto allowed those words to sink in. To register. Sasuke loved him? "...Naruto...?" Sasuke lifted his head, black hair tumbling about in an untidy, muddy mess. The golden haired boy tightened his grip on Sasuke, now crying himself. "...Me too... I love you too... Sasuke..."

--

**Author's Note:**

**Okay, yuck. Fluffy ending. . Please take not that this will be my only fluff. R&R and tell me if I should make a sequel, or add chapters to it.**

**NekoJinn Out!**


End file.
